DHL Reports Expected Growth in International Supply Chain and Customs Services

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist within Deutsche Post DHL, is expecting a substantial increase in its portfolio of customers adopting its International Supply Chain (ISC) supply chain management service by the first quarter of 2015.

Through its cloud-based collaborative global platform, DHL Global Forwarding is able to provide customers with shipment tracking, expedited management of purchase orders, real-time visibility of operational changes, enhanced customs visibility, end-to-end standardized logistics execution, and early intervention of discrepancies in any stage of shipment under one service platform.

With the retail sector being the earliest adopters of ISC’s service and cloud platform, there has been a recent influx of interest among customers from the technology, automotive, life science, chemicals, and engineering and manufacturing sectors.

“The marrying of the company’s ISC and customs expertise offers customers an end-to-end solution with greater control over their supply chain and guidance on regulatory compliance,” said Jose Maria de Orduna, head of Operations and Value Added Services, Americas. “DHL Global Forwarding’s experts have used their multi-industry supply chain knowledge to tailor this cloud service offering as an in-house, one-stop shop to meet supply chain and customs needs, something not previously available in the market.”

In survey and case study interviews conducted by Aberdeen Group, results show that firms enjoying best-in-class supply chain performance differentiate themselves by developing a centralized supply chain management platform for global multi-enterprise visibility and control with cloud-based connectivity.

DHL Global Forwarding’s ISC team developed its supply chain management service platform to be more flexible in its system configurations, streamlining of processes, improvement of efficiencies, and visibility from the moment a purchase order is issued to delivery of the goods.

DHL’s Customs Brokerage teams are working to assist importers and exporters to become aligned with the United States’ “Single Window” International Trade Data System (ITDS). On Feb. 19, 2014, the Single Window was announced by executive order to streamline the export/ import process for America’s businesses with a deadline of Dec. 31, 2016 for completion. Businesses will now have to file documentation with one government agency instead of filing with up to 47 separate agencies.

As part of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Inter-American Network of International Trade Single Windows initiative, talks have been underway to implement national single window projects throughout Latin America. With the possible implementation of single window systems on the horizon, the assistance of customs brokers and services to guide companies of all sizes is going to be instrumental in achieving an easy transition in the area of regulatory compliance for movement of cargo to and from the region.

With a steady increase of international trade, DHL Global Forwarding’s ISC team has assisted a number of customers in growing their businesses with greater air and ocean shipment visibility in real-time, no matter what industry sector. With the advent of the Single Window, importers and exporters are going to need guidance on this new electronic interface that will be carried out in phases by the U.S. government.

These same customers doing business in the U.S. or with the U.S. can benefit by tapping into DHL’s customs expertise and its supply chain management service platform, to streamline and automate their customs and compliance processes. With an unprecedented period of growth in Latin America in particular, U.S. based multinational corporations with increasing business in the region will require experienced brokers that understand the new processes being enacted.

As an added service to existing and potential customers and to further promote knowledge sharing across the industry, DHL Global Forwarding launched free monthly 60-minute customer webinars in the U.S. earlier this year geared toward various customs and trade topics.